We could be in for a severe flu season. Here’s what to know. - Boston.com

The return of a potentially robust or even severe flu season has health experts concerned that we could finally see the arrival of a long-feared “twindemic” of COVID-19 and influenza, which would burden an already strained health care system. .

“Fewer people have gotten flu in the last couple of years, and that’s always a little bit of a warning sign because when people get the flu, they develop some immunity to it,” Madoff said.

So that is somewhat worrisome — that this year fewer people are going to be immune to the flu and that might tend to give us a more severe flu season.”.

Those factors — relaxed pandemic measures and less immunity to the flu — are likely at least partly behind the “extra severe flu season” being seen in the Southern Hemisphere, Madoff said.

Madoff said it is possible that the flu season could be worse, either in severity or by the numbers, than COVID this year, given that there’s probably less immunity for influenza because of the last few years. .

“It’s something to be aware of, and it’s a really good reason people should get vaccinated for both COVID and the flu,” he said.

The bottom line, Madoff said, is that no one wants either of the diseases to be circulating, since they both can cause severe illness and spread among close populations, like at school. .

“Each year we have lots of people who could be vaccinated for flu, who just choose not to,” she said.

Madoff and Shenoy agreed the concern with a twindemic is that it could cause more strain on an already burdened health care system. .

“Our health care system is already under a lot of stress,” Madoff said.

“There are very high volumes of patients in our health care facilities already, and every flu season, even before the pandemic, the flu season always stretched capacity in our health care system

Preventing a swamping of the health care system is another important reason for people to get their flu vaccine and COVID booster, the doctors said

Madoff said viral interference may have been a factor for seeing less flu during the omicron surge last year

It’s important every year, but Madoff said given the increased risk of seeing a more severe season this year, it is even more essential. 

Since both flu and COVID are expected this year, and both viruses have symptoms that can’t always be distinguished, Madoff said it is important for people to stay home if they’re sick to prevent spreading the diseases. 

“If you’re a patient who’s at high risk for severe disease, we can provide treatment, even without a flu test if you’re at high risk for complications and clinically it appears that you have flu,” she said

Madoff said this year, for the first time, the Centers for Disease Control is also recommending people over the age of 65 to get either the high dose or adjuvanted flu vaccine, which induce more of an immune response and offer better protection for the most vulnerable populations.